As the three figures stepped inside the hall, they immediately felt the shift in the atmosphere. The air here was different from the rest of the floors in the ministry building. It was denser, more oppressive and it was pulsing with a raw and rhythmic magic.
The trio, especially Harold Minchum and Barty Crouch, suppressed the cold sensation crawling up their spines as they proceeded toward the group of Unspeakables. At least, Alastor was doing fairly better compared to the other two. All of them had been to this floor before and they were familiar with the sensation and had already steeled themselves for it.
Walking with measured strides, with the Minister leading the way, the trio reached the group and stopped before a specific man. He was tall and thin with sharp and hawk-like features. Despite his imposing presence, exhaustion and tiredness was etched into his face.
The man had barely slept in the past two days. Coupled with the immense stress of the investigation, the man was nearly drained. And he was only functioning and still standing tall because of the magic supporting him.
This was William Ilvagar, the Head of the Department of Mysteries and Chief of the Unspeakables. He was likely the only one whose face among all the Unspeakables was widely known.
"Ilvagar," the Minister mumbled in a clipped greeting as he stood before the tall man.
His voice was coarse and stiff. Ilvagar was a powerful, exceptional and talented wizard. It was widely rumoured that Ilvagar possessed strange, unique and weird abilities and had a mastery of esoteric spells. And this made the weak willed Minister nervous in front of William Ilvagar, especially given the gravity of the situation.
"Minister," Ilvagar replied, his expression unchanging.
He gave a sharp nod to Minchum's colleagues, though his manner made it clear the gesture was a mere formality. The two also nodded in return.
"Can we learn the truth now?" the Minister asked. "It has been two days since the wards were breached and the ministry was attacked, and you have told us nothing. Not a single thing."
"I think it is time you stopped hiding things from us," he continued. "People outside are ready to pounce on me with their questions, and I do not have a single answer to give them."
William let out a small, tired smile.
"That is precisely why I have called for you, Minister," he said.
Ilvagar began to walk, leading them deeper into the hall. The trio exchanged confused glances but followed closely behind.
The atmosphere in the hall shifts from clinical observation to a heavy, accusatory tension. William Ilvagar isn't just delivering a report; he's exposing the rot within the very institution Minchum is supposed to lead.
William led them toward the side of the hall where the corpses of the Unspeakables had been lined up. The Minister and his companions frowned, but they remained silent, waiting for him to speak.
"Minister," William said, standing beside the bodies with his gaze fixed on them. "These are the six Unspeakables who were on guard duty at the Keystone during the attack. All were killed by Death Eaters before the Keystone was compromised."
"It was a heavy task," William added, his voice momentarily softening and a tint of grief appearing into it, "to inform their families of their deaths."
"We have still not handed over their corpses to them yet," he sighed. "And it churns my heart to lose six of my men."
The Minister remained silent. He could sense the grief William was suppressing, but he found no words that could offer meaningful comfort. And also that, more than hearing sad tales, he was interested in knowing what had transpired in this hall and how the death eaters had been able to take control of the ministry wards.
"Regardless," William said, steeling his voice. "Let me begin the narration."
The trio perked up, concentrating intensely on every word.
"The plot to seize the Ministry Keystone, which was the most critical phase of the plan to invade the Wizengamot, began nearly an hour before the attack on the chambers actually occurred," he began.
"Nine men, dressed not in Death Eater robes but in standard civilian attire, arrived at the Ministry," he continued. "These men were highly efficient, organised with a proper plan to follow."
"They knew exactly what they had to do. And if that were not enough, they had assistance from within the Ministry itself."
The expressions on the faces of the Minister and Barty Crouch shifted to shock. William raised an eyebrow at their reaction.
"Is this surprising, Minister?" he questioned, his tone sharpening. "I thought that you, like everyone else, were well aware that quite a few pests working for the Dark Lord are currently employed within these walls."
There was a dangerous edge in William's voice that made Minchum nervous.
"I am aware," he stammered. "I... I was just not expecting this level of coordination suddenly out of nowhere."
"Nothing is sudden, minister," William countered and the minister was again at loss of words. He stifled his lips a couple of times but ultimately no replay came out of them.
William did not react, simply continuing his tale.
"From our initial investigation," he said, "we have been able to ascertain that there were likely two Ministry officials aiding those Death Eaters. With their help, the infiltrators moved through the corridors of the ministry building with ease, evading all guards and patrols before finally descending to this restricted floor."
"Department Head Ilvagar," Alastor Moody interjected suddenly, his magical eye whirling in its socket. "Forgive the intrusion, but I understand how the Death Eaters reached this floor with the help of those officials—but how did they gain access to the hall itself?"
William offered a stiff, thin smile. Alastor Moody was one of the rare few men in the Ministry whom William truly respected.
"I was just coming to that, Head Auror Moody," William said. "And yes, your instincts are entirely correct."
Moody's good eye widened in surprise, while the Minister and Barty Crouch looked between them in growing confusion.
"What is he thinking?" the Minister questioned impatiently. "What is so 'correct'?"
"That there was a traitor among the Unspeakables as well," William sighed, the weight of the betrayal heavy in his voice. "Even our department has been compromised. It was with the assistance of that traitor that the intruders managed to bypass our internal protections and enter this hall."
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